Books, Websites and Resources

It is easy to get caught up in information overload... a reminder to review the source and look for reputable sites and programs.

Do you have your copy of By Your Side or Still By Your Side? You can order one here from the website. It is helpful when you need to review medical details in the glossary, information on Ovarian Cancer, a list of books and organizations that can help.

Another excellent resource is Cancer Chat by the de Souza Institute. There is an upcoming online Ovarian Cancer support session check it out here: https://cancerchat.desouzainstitute.com/aboutYou can also view their calendar and make contact to get on the email list to find out when new sessions start.

If you’re looking for a book
that deals with the psychological and emotional aspects of cancer, I highly
recommend reading Paul Kalanithi’s bestseller, When Breath Becomes Air. At
the age of 36, on the verge of completing a decade’s training as a
neurosurgeon, Kalanithi was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. One day he
was a doctor treating the dying, the next he was a patient struggling to live. The
young doctor’s autobiographical account, published after his death, is both
poignant and well-written.

If you haven’t watched it, I
suggest Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies based on the Pulitzer prize winning
book by Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee. This documentary was on PBS last year and is
one of the best shows I’ve ever seen on the subject of cancer. I love how Mukherjee
and producer Ken Burns skillfully interweave the scientific, historical and
political aspects of the disease.

I wanted to provide another source of information for clinical trials for everyone that may be researching them. The website is http://www.canadiancancertrials.ca/ This site lists all the clinical trials in Canada for all types of cancers. They can be searched by province and town as well.

Often, returning to work may be unthinkable - the last issue on your mind - (was for me).. If you find yourself at the crossroads and have the opportunity to go back or are well enough to go to work, this helpful site offers a lot of information and assistance. It is for Survivors, Health Care Providers and Employers https://www.cancerandwork.ca/

How long does it normally take to receive By Your Side? I sent the request on Sept 21st and haven the received a physical or electronic copy yet. Got the confirmation email straight away and everything but nothing since.

Hi @terrylee. You should have received the electronic version very quickly and the hard copy within a couple of weeks. I will definitely check into this and see what happened. I do apologize! I assume that you ordered it through the website?

HiIn the discussion about "How can family and friends help", someone asked if there were any online resources to help plan and organize practical help and support. There are 2 websites that I know of that have an online scheduling component to them as well as a mass communication vehicle that you can use to keep multiple people updated about your situation. This can be particularly helpful during a time of surgery and/or treatment. Here they are:caringbridge.orglotsahelpinghands.com

My family actually used caringbridge.org during the illness and recovery of a family member and it worked really well. We did not use the scheduling component.

Has anyone used the Live Better with Cancer
website? You can check it out at https://livebetterwith.com.
I wasn’t really aware of the organization until one of their staff members
contacted me, she had stumbled across my personal blog. The company is based in
the United Kingdom, but it’s international in scope. Live Better seems to have an
extremely wide selection of products to help cancer patients during treatment
and recovery. The site also offers lots of practical advice in the form of
blogs by people living with various types of cancer.

I really enjoyed the art therapy session and the session on recurrence provided helpful support as well. These sessions are during day hours, it is all on remote via internet/chat/webinar and is hosted by designated professionals.

Hi @Flowergirl
thank you for posting this incredibly interesting link. I’ve read When Breath
Becomes Air and intend to read The Bright Hour in the near future. It definitely
shocked me to learn that Paul
Kalanithi’s widow is currently in a relationship with the widower of the author
Nina Riggs. I was completely unaware of their romance until now. I like what
Lucy Kalanithi says about their relationship. “I’m surprised by how ridiculous
it is and how natural it is at the same time.”

I have found lots of good info on the Hystersisters website. For info about the surgery part of it at least. And I am in a good facebook group though most of the women are American, but they are from all over the world too.